In Newark, Brian Fonseca reported Rutgers and Adidas have “agreed in principle to extend their partnership.” Terms of the deal, such as length and compensation, were “not immediately available.” Rutgers latest contract, a six-year deal worth a total of $10.35M in apparel and cash value, expired in June of 2023. In the final year of the deal, the "product allotment payout" was $1.8M. The contract “had a number of incentives” across the football, basketball and Olympic programs. It is "unclear if the next contract will follow a similar structure" (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 3/27).
MOTHERLY VALUES: FOOTWEAR NEWS’ Shosy Ciment noted former U.S. sprinter Allyson Felix is “calling out her former sponsor, Nike,” in a new campaign for her footwear brand, Saysh. The campaign “highlights Saysh’s existing Maternity Returns Policy” and "features an open letter from Felix to 'women' regarding her decision to split from Nike and the values behind Saysh." Saysh’s Maternity Policy, which launched in 2022, allows customers who have purchased a pair of Saysh sneakers to “exchange the shoes for a new pair in a different size should their foot size change while pregnant.” The campaign is “styled to look like a series of advertisements for women from the 1950s,” highlighting the novelty of Saysh’s Maternity policy “against the backdrop of a society that still has a long way to go in terms of support for mothers” (FOOTWEAR NEWS, 3/27).
LOOK GOOD, PLAY GOOD: Tennis player Danielle Collins is back in the semifinals of the Miami Open for the first time in six years, and the FP Movement endorser said one major difference between now and then is that she is wearing a "better outfit." Collins in 2018 was "clad in a pink Nike cap, blush-pink sports bra, and a matching dark gray tank top and shorts." Collins: “Back then, I was still ballin' on a budget.” She referenced her sponsor by saying, "The outfit game this tournament, I really like it” (TENNIS, 3/28).
